Collaborative approach in strategic development planning for small municipalities. Applying geodesign methodology and tools for a new municipal strategy in Scanzano Jonico.

Facing urban development in weakest Italian municipalities is a critical technical activity which requires an integrated and inclusive approach for strategic goal selection together with effective monitoring tools describing local trends (concerning economy, services, employment, etc.) and local communities’ needs. The case study of Scanzano Jonico in Basilicata represents an interesting strategic planning laboratory due to the fact that the municipality is characterized by sensible territorial resources (mainly un-exploited), a developed agricultural system, a weak urban structure characterized by a generalized lack of effective public service, insufficient infrastructures. In a perspective of concrete and feasible strategic development planning, based on the lack of public resources and facing the challenge to guarantee better living conditions for local communities, the operative methodological framework of GEODESIGN was applied. A bottom up workshop oriented to identify a shared development scenario was performed including local relevant stakeholders. The paper presents territorial analyses represented in “systems” of suitability maps according with Geodesign Approach; then the results from the workshop are discussed in order to assess strengths and weaknesses of the application. The strategic design obtained through the participative workshop is characterized by a strict link with territorial features and local community ambitions and represents a “context-based” scenario suitable to implement regional cohesion policy main objectives.